Quincy Man Allegedly Waves Knife at Off-Duty Braintree Cop in Road Rage Incident

An alleged road rage incident led Braintree police to arrest a 26-year-old Quincy man on Sunday evening after he reportedly almost crashed into an off-duty officer's car and then brandished a knife out the window as the officer followed him through Braintree.

Joseph M. Whiffen was arrested and charged with two counts each of assault with a dangerous weapon and threats to commit a crime after police tracked him down and found several knives in his vehicle, Deputy Chief Russell Jenkins said in a statement.

The incident began in Weymouth Landing, where Whiffen allegedly came close to crashing into a vehicle containing the off-duty officer and his passenger at the intersection of Commercial Street and Brookside Road. When the officer tried to talk to Whiffen, he allegedly claimed he had a firearm and drove off, Jenkins said.

The off-duty officer attempted to follow him but lost Whiffen near Hayward and Shaw streets. While following him, Whiffen allegedly waved a knife out the window of his vehicle, Jenkins said.

A little while later, Sergeant Charles Bata found Whiffen and took him into custody without incident, Jenkins said. Among his knives was a military-style weapon that the off-duty officer said he saw Whiffen waving.